lament

/ləˈmɛnt/

//ləˈmɛnt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"lament" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lament” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,982. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,982
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An expression of grief, suffering, sadness or regret.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lament · lament · English

lament · rank #20,982 · 9 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,982
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kurdistan

Nearest frequency peer: Kurdistan (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “lament”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “lament” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lament vs lent
67% similar
lament vs lumen
67% similar
lament vs latest
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for lament
PropertyValue
Headwordlament
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ləˈmɛnt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,982
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lament”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).lamentlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Kurdistan” (#20,981), “leach” (#20,983), “kilos” (#20,980). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lament” is #20,982. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around lament (IPA /ləˈmɛnt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,982 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for lament, with forms such as "alment", "laemnt", and "lamennt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "lent", "lumen", "latest", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: A back-formation from lamentation or else from Middle French lamenter and its etymon Latin lāmentor (“I wail, weep”), from lāmentum (“wailing, moaning, weeping”); with formative -mentum, from the root *la-, probably ultimately imitative. Also see latrare. The correct English form is lament, spelled L-A-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An expression of grief, suffering, sadness or regret.
  2. 2
    A song expressing grief.

Etymology

A back-formation from lamentation or else from Middle French lamenter and its etymon Latin lāmentor (“I wail, weep”), from lāmentum (“wailing, moaning, weeping”); with formative -mentum, from the root *la-, probably ultimately imitative. Also see latrare.

This word in other languages

lamento(Español)lamentation(Français)Klage(Deutsch)lamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alment
  • laemnt
  • lamennt
  • lamentt
  • lametn
  • lamment
  • lamnet
  • llament
  • lmaent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lament - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

alment2laemnt2lamennt1lamentt1lametn2lamment1lamnet2llament1
Edit distance from "lament"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lament"?
"lament" is spelled L-A-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ləˈmɛnt/.
What does "lament" mean?
As a noun, "lament" means: An expression of grief, suffering, sadness or regret.
What words are commonly confused with "lament"?
"lament" is commonly confused with "lent", "lumen", "latest". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lament"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lament" is /ləˈmɛnt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "lament"?
A back-formation from lamentation or else from Middle French lamenter and its etymon Latin lāmentor (“I wail, weep”), from lāmentum (“wailing, moaning, weeping”); with formative -mentum, from the root *la-, probably ultimately imitative. Also see ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lament", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Maddie#20,991inhale#20,967Ingrid#20,966Maxine#20,999

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Namibia9 variantsnectar9 variantsheinous9 variantsO'Malley9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list